Game machine, control method of game machine and information storage medium

ABSTRACT

A game machine on which a user allows a plurality of player characters of an operation subject team to perform linkage play. A linkage partner selecting unit selects a linkage partner player character from among fellow player characters. A type of linkage play selecting unit selects a type of linkage play. A linkage partner control unit controls the position of a linkage partner player character based on a selected type of linkage play. If a linkage partner player character is not selected, a pass execution unit makes an operation subject player character execute a pass in a direction based on the content of a pass instruction operation according to the pass instruction by the user. If a linkage partner player character is selected, the pass execution unit makes the operation subject player character execute a pass to a linkage partner player character based on the user&#39;s pass instruction operation.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a game machine, a control method of thegame machine, and an information storage medium.

BACKGROUND ART

There is known a game machine which displays a game screen showing asituation of a game space in which player characters belonging to anoperation subject team, player characters belonging to an opposing team,and a moving body character representing a moving body are located, andprovides a game of a sport played between the operation subject team andthe opposing team by using the moving body. Examples thereof includegame machines that provide a soccer game, an ice hockey game, or thelike. In the above-described sports game, one of the player charactersbelonging to the operation subject team is set as an operation subjectof a user. In general, the player character set as the operation subjectof the user is switched to another according to movement of the movingbody (ball, puck, or the like) or a switching operation made by theuser.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

In such a sports game as described above, to cause a plurality of playercharacters of an operation subject team to perform a linkage play usinga pass which is performed by involving the plurality of playercharacters, a user must perform an operation (including a passinstruction operation) on each of the player characters to be involvedin the linkage play while switching the player character to be theoperation subject. The above-described operation is hard for the user(particular an inexperienced user) to perform.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentionedproblem, and an object thereof is to provide a game machine, a controlmethod of a game machine, and an information storage medium for allowinga user to cause a plurality of player characters of an operation subjectteam to perform a linkage play using a pass which is performed byinvolving the plurality of player characters with a relatively simpleoperation.

Means for Solving the Problem

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a game machine accordingto the present invention displays a game screen showing a situation of agame space in which an operation subject player character that actsaccording to a user's operation, fellow player characters belonging tothe same team as the operation subject player character, and a movingbody character that represents a moving body are located, and whichexecutes a game of a sport played by using the moving body between theteam to which the operation subject player character belongs and anopposing team. The game machine includes: linkage partner selectingmeans for selecting a linkage partner player character from among thefellow player characters based on the user's operation; type of linkageplay selecting means for selecting a type of linkage play; linkagepartner control means for controlling a position of the linkage partnerplayer character selected by the linkage partner selecting means basedon the type of linkage play selected by the type of linkage playselecting means; and pass execution means for, in the case where a passinstruction operation is performed by the user, causing the operationsubject player character to execute a pass in a direction within thegame space based on a content of the pass instruction operation if thelinkage partner player character has not been selected by the linkagepartner selecting means, and causing the operation subject playercharacter to execute a pass to the linkage partner player character ifthe linkage partner player character has been selected by the linkagepartner selecting means.

Further, a control method of a game machine according to the presentinvention, which displays a game screen showing a situation of a gamespace in which an operation subject player character that acts accordingto a user's operation, fellow player characters belonging to the sameteam as the operation subject player character, and a moving bodycharacter that represents a moving body are located, and which executesa game of a sport played by using the moving body between the team towhich the operation subject player character belongs and an opposingteam, includes: a linkage partner selecting step of selecting a linkagepartner player character from among the fellow player characters basedon the user's operation; a type of linkage play selecting step ofselecting a type of linkage play; a linkage partner control step ofcontrolling a position of the linkage partner player character selectedby the linkage partner selecting step based on the type of linkage playselected by the type of linkage play selecting step; and a passexecution step of, in the case where a pass instruction operation isperformed by the user, causing the operation subject player character toexecute a pass in a direction within the game space based on a contentof the pass instruction operation if the linkage partner playercharacter has not been selected by the linkage partner selecting step,and causing the operation subject player character to execute a pass tothe linkage partner player character if the linkage partner playercharacter has been selected by the linkage partner selecting step.

A program according to the present invention causes a computer such as ahousehold game machine, an arcade game machine, a portable game machine,a portable cellular telephone, a personal computer, or a server computerto function as a game machine which displays a game screen showing asituation of a game space in which an operation subject player characterthat acts according to a user's operation, fellow player charactersbelonging to the same team as the operation subject player character,and a moving body character that represents a moving body are located,and which executes a game of a sport played by using the moving bodybetween the team to which the operation subject player character belongsand an opposing team. The program further causes the computer tofunction as: linkage partner selecting means for selecting a linkagepartner player character from among the fellow player characters basedon the user's operation; type of linkage play selecting means forselecting a type of linkage play; linkage partner control means forcontrolling a position of the linkage partner player character selectedby the linkage partner selecting means based on the type of linkage playselected by the type of linkage play selecting means; and pass executionmeans for, in the case where a pass instruction operation is performedby the user, causing the operation subject player character to execute apass in a direction within the game space based on a content of the passinstruction operation if the linkage partner player character has notbeen selected by the linkage partner selecting means, and causing theoperation subject player character to execute a pass to the linkagepartner player character if the linkage partner player character hasbeen selected by the linkage partner selecting means.

Further, an information storage medium according to the presentinvention is a computer-readable information storage medium recordedwith the above-mentioned program. Further, a program distribution deviceaccording to the present invention is a program distribution device thatincludes an information storage medium recorded with the above-mentionedprogram and reads out and distributes the above-mentioned program fromthe information storage medium. Further, a program distribution methodaccording to the present invention is a program distribution method forusing an information storage medium recorded with the above-mentionedprogram and reading out and distributing the above-mentioned programfrom the information storage medium.

The present invention relates to a game machine which displays a gamescreen showing a situation of a game space in which an operation subjectplayer character that acts according to a user's operation, fellowplayer characters belonging to the same team as the operation subjectplayer character, and a moving body character representing a moving bodyare located, and which executes a game of a sport played by using themoving body between the team to which the operation subject playercharacter belongs and an opposing team. In the present invention, alinkage partner player character is selected from among the fellowplayer characters based on the user's operation. Also in the presentinvention, a type of linkage play is selected. Further, the position ofthe linkage partner player character is controlled based on the type oflinkage play. In a case where the user performs a pass instructionoperation, if the linkage partner player character is not selected, theoperation subject player character is caused to execute a pass in adirection based on the content of the pass instruction operation. On theother hand, if the linkage partner player character is selected, theoperation subject player character is caused to execute a pass to thelinkage partner player character. According to the present invention, auser can cause a plurality of player characters of the operation subjectteam to perform the linkage play using a pass which is performed byinvolving the plurality of player characters with a relatively simpleoperation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a game machineaccording to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 are diagrams showing an example of a controller.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a virtualthree-dimensional space.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the game screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the game screen.

FIG. 7 are diagrams for explaining a linkage play “one-two pass”.

FIG. 8 are diagrams for explaining a linkage play “cross”.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a linkage play “open space”.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the game machineaccording to this embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing executed on the game machine.

FIG. 12 is another flowchart showing the processing executed on the gamemachine.

FIG. 13 is another flowchart showing the processing executed on the gamemachine.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a programdistribution system according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An in-depth description of an example of an embodiment of the presentinvention will hereinafter be made based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware structure of a game machineaccording to the embodiment of the present invention. A game machine 10illustrated in FIG. 1 has a structure in which a DVD-ROM 25 and memorycards 28, or information storage media, are inserted into a householdgame machine 11, and a monitor 18 and a loudspeaker 22 are connected tothe household game machine 11. For example, a home TV receiving set isused for the monitor 18, and a built-in loudspeaker thereof is used forthe loudspeaker 22.

The household game machine 11 is a well-known computer game systemincluding a bus 12, a microprocessor 14, an image processing unit 16, asound processing unit 20, a DVD-ROM reproducing unit 24, a main memory26, an input/output (I/O) processing unit 30, and controllers 32. Anenclosure accommodates the components other than the controllers 32.

The bus 12 is used, via which addresses and data are transmitted andreceived by the respective units of the household game machine 11. Themicroprocessor 14, the image processing unit 16, the main memory 26, andthe I/O processing unit 30 are connected to each other via the bus 12 soas to be communicable with each other.

The microprocessor 14 controls the individual units of the householdgame machine 11 on the basis of an operating system (OS) stored in a ROM(not shown), a program read from the DVD-ROM 25, and data read from thememory card 28. The main memory 26 is a memory including, for example, aRAM, and the program read from the DVD-ROM 25 and the data read from thememory card 28 are written in the main memory 26 if necessary. The mainmemory 26 is also employed as a working memory for the microprocessor14.

The image processing unit 16 includes a VRAM and renders, based on theimage data sent from the microprocessor 14, a game screen in the VRAM.Then, the image processing unit 16 converts a content thereof into videosignals and outputs the video signals to the monitor 18 at predeterminedtimings.

The I/O processing unit 30 is an interface used for the microprocessor14 to access the sound processing unit 20, the DVD-ROM reproducing unit24, the memory card 28, and the controller 32. The sound processing unit20, the DVD-ROM reproducing unit 24, the memory card 28, and thecontroller 32 are connected to the I/O processing unit 30.

The sound processing unit 20, which includes a sound buffer, reproducesand outputs, from the loudspeaker 22, various sound data such as gamemusic, game sound effect, and messages that are read from the DVD-ROM 25and stored in the sound buffer.

The DVD-ROM reproducing unit 24 reads the program recorded on theDVD-ROM 25 in accordance with an instruction given from themicroprocessor 14. It is to be noted that, in this case, the DVD-ROM 25is employed for supplying the program to the household game machine 11.However, any of various other information storage media such as CD-ROMsand ROM cards may also be used. Further, the program may also besupplied to the household game machine 11 from a far-off area via a datacommunication network such as the Internet.

The memory card 28 includes a nonvolatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). Thehousehold game machine 11 has multiple memory card slots into which thememory cards 28 are inserted, and the multiple memory cards 28 can besimultaneously inserted. The memory card 28 is constructed so that thememory card 28 can be inserted into and removed from the memory cardslot, and is employed for storing various game data such as save data.

The controller 32 is a general-purpose operation input means used for aplayer to input a variety of game operations. The I/O processing unit 30scans statuses of the respective portions of the controller 32 at aninterval of a fixed period (e.g., every 1/60 sec), and transfersoperation signals representing scanned results to the microprocessor 14via the bus 12. The microprocessor 14 determines, based on thisoperation signal, the game operation of the player. The household gamemachine 11 is configured to be connectable with the multiple controllers32, and the microprocessor 14 controls the game on the basis of theoperation signals inputted from the respective controllers 32.

FIG. 2 are diagrams showing an example of the controller 32. Thecontroller 32 shown in FIG. 2 is a general-purpose game controller. Asshown in FIG. 2( a), the controller 32 is connected to the householdgame machine 11 through a controller cable 43, and has a directionbutton group 34 and a left operation stick 36 formed on the left side ofa surface 32 a, and has buttons 38X, 38Y, 38A, and 38B and a rightoperation stick 37 formed on the right side of a surface 32 a. Inaddition, as shown in FIG. 2( b), the buttons 40L, 40R, formed on thetop surface on the left and right sides thereof closer to the surface 32a, and the buttons 42L, 42R, similarly formed but closer to the rearsurface. The direction button group 34 is usually used for setting amoving direction of a character and a cursor. The buttons 38X, 38Y, 38A,38B, 40L, 40R, 42L, and 42R are used for various game operations. Theleft operation stick 36 and the right operation stick 37 are astick-shape operation members that stand upright on the surface of thecasing of the controller 32, and can be tilted freely from the uprightstate toward all azimuths by a predetermined angle. The household gamemachine 11 receives an input of numerical values indicating the currenttilt states (postures) of the left operation stick 36 and the rightoperation stick 37. The left operation stick 36 and the right operationstick 37 are usually used for setting the moving direction of thecharacter and the cursor similarly to the direction button group 34.Note that in the following description, the direction button group 34 isused for various direction instruction operations, but for example, theleft operation stick 36 may be used for the various directioninstruction operations.

The game machine 10 having the above-mentioned hardware configurationprovides a soccer game in which the user operates a player object(player character object that indicates a soccer player) belonging tothe operation subject team (hereinafter, referred to as “user team”),and aims to generate more scoring events than the opposing team. Thissoccer game is implemented by execution of a soccer game program readout from the DVD-ROM 25.

On the game machine 10, a virtual three-dimensional space (game space)is created in the main memory 26 by the execution of the above-mentionedsoccer game program. The monitor 18 displays a game screen showing thepicture obtained by viewing the virtual three-dimensional space from agiven viewpoint. The user enjoys playing the soccer game by operatingthe controller 32 while watching the game screen displayed on themonitor 18.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the virtual three-dimensional space createdin the main memory 26. As shown in FIG. 3, a field object 52representing a soccer pitch and goal objects 54 are located in a virtualthree-dimensional space 50, which forms a field to be a stage for asoccer match. Each of the goal objects 54 is associated with one of theuser team and the opposing team.

A ball object 58 representing a soccer ball is located on the fieldobject 52. In addition, player objects 56 are located on the fieldobject 52. FIG. 3 shows only 3 player objects 56, but 19 other playerobjects 56 are also located on the field object 52. The player objects56 each belong to one of the user team or the opposing team.

One of the player objects 56 belonging to the user team is set as theoperation subject of the user. The position and posture of the playerobject 56 of the user's operation subject (hereinafter, referred to as“operation subject player object”) in the virtual three-dimensionalspace 50 vary according to the operation signal inputted from thecontroller 32.

When the operation subject player object comes close to the ball object58, the operation subject player object and the ball object 58 areassociated with each other under predetermined conditions. In thissituation, the ball object 58 moves according to the movement of theoperation subject player object. This manner is displayed on the monitor18 as a dribble action of the player object 56. Further, in a state inwhich the operation subject player object and the ball object 58 areassociated with each other, by operating the controller 32, the user cancause the operation subject player object to kick the ball object 58. Inother words, the user can cause the operation subject player object toperform a pass, cross, or shot.

Of the player objects 56 belonging to the user team, the player objects56 other than the operation subject player object (hereinafter, referredto as “fellow player object”) are automatically controlled by thecomputer according to a predetermined algorithm.

The operation subject player object is switched from one of the playerobjects 56 belonging to the user team to another thereof according tothe switching operation made by the user or the movement of the ballobject 58. By operating the operation subject player object being thusswitched, the user aims to shoot the ball object 58 into the goal object54 of the opposing team to generate a scoring event.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the game screen displayed on the monitor 18.As shown in FIG. 4, the game screen shows the picture obtained byviewing the virtual three-dimensional space 50 from a given viewpoint.An operation subject player object 56 a, a fellow player object 56 b,and a player object belonging to the opposing team (hereinafter,referred to as “opposing player object”) 56 c are displayed in the gamescreen shown in FIG. 4.

A radar 60 is also displayed in the game screen. The radar 60 indicatesthe positions of the respective player objects 56 on the field object52. The radar 60 shows the player objects 56 belonging to the user teamand the player objects 56 belonging to the opposing team separately onefrom the other. Further, the operation subject player object isdisplayed distinctly from the player objects 56 belonging to the userteam. The radar 60 shown in FIG. 4 indicates the position of theoperation subject player object 56 a by an asterisk. In addition, theposition of the fellow player object 56 b is indicated by a whitecircle, while the position of the opposing player object 56 c isindicated by a black circle. Note that the radar 60 shown in FIG. 4indicates the positions of only 3 player objects 56, but the actualradar 60 indicates the positions of 22 player objects 56.

When the user performs a dribble instruction operation (operation of thedirection button group 34 in this embodiment), the game screen shows theoperation subject player object 56 a performing a dribble. Further, whenthe user performs a short pass instruction operation or a long pass(including cross) instruction operation, the game screen shows theoperation subject player object 56 a performing a short pass or a longpass, respectively. In the case of this embodiment, the short passinstruction operation is an operation using the direction button group34 and the button 38A, and the long pass instruction operation is anoperation using the direction button group 34 and the button 38B. To bespecific, the operation subject player object 56 a performs a short passwhen the depression of button 38A is released after the button 38A isdepressed. The direction of the pass (moving direction of the ballobject 58) at this time is decided based on the depressed state of thedirection button group 34 when the button 38A is depressed. In addition,the strength of the pass (initial velocity of the ball object 58) isdecided according to the length of time elapsing from the depression ofthe button 38A until the release of the depression. The same applies tothe long pass.

According to this embodiment, the user can cause the operation subjectplayer object 56 a and the fellow player objects 56 b to perform a“linkage attack using a pass” with a relatively simple operation.Hereinafter, description will be made of this linkage play aidingfunction.

In this embodiment, when the user performs a predetermined operation(depression of the button 42L in this embodiment), the user is guided toselect a desired linkage play. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example ofthe game screen of this case. As shown in FIG. 5, a linkage playselection guide image 62 is displayed in the game screen. In the linkageplay selection guide image 62, a list of linkage plays that can beselected by the user is displayed. In this embodiment, there are 3 typesof linkage plays “one-two pass”, “cross”, and “open space” provided asthe linkage plays that can be selected by the user. The details of thoselinkage plays will be described later.

In the linkage play selection guide image 62, one of the linkage playsis highlighted. Each time the button 40L is depressed, the highlightedlinkage play is changed from one linkage play to another in the order of“one-two pass”, “cross”, “open space”, “one-two pass”, “cross”, “openspace”, and the like. Further, when the button 40R is depressed, thelinkage play highlighted at that point in time is decided as anexecution subject linkage play. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an exampleof the game screen shown after the execution subject linkage play isdecided. As shown in FIG. 6, an execution subject linkage play guideimage 64 is displayed in the game screen of this case. The executionsubject linkage play guide image 64 indicates the linkage play selectedby the user.

When the execution subject linkage play is decided, a partner for thelinkage play is selected from among the fellow player objects 56 b. Thepartner for the linkage play is automatically selected based on, forexample, the type of linkage play selected by the user, the position ofthe operation subject player object 56 a, the position of the fellowplayer objects 56 b, and the like. Note that the following descriptionwill be given mainly for a case where one fellow player object 56 b isselected as the partner for the linkage play, but a plurality of fellowplayer objects 56 b may be selected as the partners for the linkageplay. Further, in the following description, the fellow player object 56b selected as the partner for the linkage play is called a linkagepartner player object.

Herein, description will be given of actions of the operation subjectplayer object and the linkage partner player object in each case where agiven linkage play is selected.

FIG. 7 are diagrams for explaining the actions of the operation subjectplayer object 56 a and the linkage partner player object 56 b (fellowplayer object 56 b selected as the partner for the linkage play) in thecase where a “one-two pass” is selected.

As shown in FIG. 7( a), in this case, when the operation subject playerobject 56 a performs a dribble (A), the linkage partner player object 56b runs parallel to the operation subject player object 56 a (B). At thistime, when the user depresses the button 38A (short pass instructionbutton), the operation subject player object 56 a performs a short pass,and the ball object 58 starts to move toward the linkage partner playerobject 56 b irrespective of the operation state of the direction buttongroup 34 (C). Further, at this time, when the user depresses the button38A (short pass instruction button) around the time when the ball object58 reaches the linkage partner player object 56 b, the linkage partnerplayer object 56 b performs a short pass, and the ball object 58 startsto move toward the operation subject player object 56 a irrespective ofthe operation state of the direction button group 34 (D).

Note that the pass (D) from the linkage partner player object 56 b tothe operation subject player object 56 a may be performed automaticallyirrespective of whether or not the button 38A (short pass instructionbutton) is depressed. Further, in order to execute the pass from thelinkage partner player object 56 b to the operation subject playerobject 56 a, it may be judged whether or not the operation subjectplayer object 56 a moves to a position where the operation subjectplayer object 56 a can receive the pass from the linkage partner playerobject 56 b. In other words, it may be judged whether or not the passfrom the linkage partner player object 56 b to the operation subjectplayer object 56 a is blocked by the opposing player object 56 c with ahigh probability based on the positions of the operation subject playerobject 56 a, the linkage partner player object 56 b, and opposing playerobject 56 c. Only if it is judged that the operation subject playerobject 56 a has moved to the position where the operation subject playerobject 56 a can receive the pass from the linkage partner player object56 b, the pass from the linkage partner player object 56 b to theoperation subject player object 56 a may be executed automatically oraccording to the depression operation of the button 38A (short passinstruction button).

Note that if a plurality of linkage partner player objects 56 b areselected, for example, as shown in FIG. 7( b), the plurality of linkagepartner player objects 56 b run parallel to the dribble (A) of theoperation subject player object 56 a (B). When the button 38A (shortpass instruction button) is depressed, a pass is executed from theoperation subject player object 56 a to one of the linkage partnerplayer objects 56 b (for example, one closest to the operation subjectplayer object 56 a) (C). If the ball object 58 reaches the linkagepartner player object 56 b; a pass is executed to another one of thelinkage partner player objects 56 b automatically or according to thedepression operation of the button 38A (short pass instruction button)(D). In this case, the pass (D) may be executed only if it is judgedthat the operation subject player object 56 a has not moved to theposition where the operation subject player object 56 a can receive thepass from the linkage partner player object 56 b. If it is judged thatthe operation subject player object 56 a has moved to the position wherethe operation subject player object 56 a can receive the pass from thelinkage partner player object 56 b, the pass to the operation subjectplayer object 56 a may be executed. Note that if the pass (D) from thelinkage partner player object 56 b to another linkage partner playerobject 56 b is executed, a pass is executed from the another one of thelinkage partner player objects 56 b to the operation subject playerobject 56 a automatically or according to the depression operation ofthe button 38A (short pass instruction button) (E).

Accordingly, by selecting “one-two pass” as the linkage play, the usercan perform a linkage attack using a dribble and a one-two pass (wallpass) with a relatively simple operation.

FIG. 8 are diagrams for explaining the actions of the operation subjectplayer object 56 a and the linkage partner player object 56 b in thecase where “cross” is selected.

As shown in FIG. 8( a), in this case, in synchronization with theoperation subject player object 56 a moving forward along the side (A),the linkage partner player object 56 b moves toward the front of thegoal of the opposing team (B). Herein, when the user depresses thebutton 38B (cross instruction button), the operation subject playerobject 56 a performs a cross, and the ball object 58 starts to movetoward the linkage partner player object 56 b irrespective of theoperation state of the direction button group 34 (C). In this case, whenthe user performs a shot instruction operation (in this embodiment,depression of the button 38X) around the time when the ball object 58reaches the linkage partner player object 56 b, a header shot or avolley shot is executed. Note that the shot by the linkage partnerplayer object 56 b may be performed automatically irrespective ofwhether or not there is a shot instruction operation.

Note that if a plurality of linkage partner player objects 56 b areselected, for example, as shown in FIG. 8( b), in synchronization withthe operation subject player object 56 a moving forward along the side(A), the plurality of linkage partner player objects 56 b move towardthe front of the opposing goal (B). When the button 38B (crossinstruction button) is depressed, a cross is executed from the operationsubject player object 56 a to one of the linkage partner player objects56 b (C). If the ball object 58 reaches the linkage partner playerobject 56 b, a pass is executed to another one of the linkage partnerplayer objects 56 b automatically or according to the depressionoperation of the button 38A or 38B (short pass or long pass instructionbutton) (D). In this case, the pass (D) may be executed only if it isjudged that the shot by the linkage partner player object 56 b who hasreceived the pass from the operation subject player object 56 a isblocked with a high probability. If it is judged that the shot by thelinkage partner player object 56 b is blocked with a low probability,the shot may be executed by the linkage partner player object 56 b whohas received the pass from the operation subject player object 56 a.Note that if the pass (D) from the linkage partner player object 56 b toanother linkage partner player object 56 b is executed, a shot isexecuted by the another one of the linkage partner player objects 56 bautomatically or according to the shot instruction operation.

Accordingly, by selecting “cross” as the linkage play, the user canperform a linkage attack using a cross with a relatively simpleoperation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the actions of the operation subjectplayer object 56 a and the linkage partner player object 56 b in thecase where “open space” is selected as the execution subject linkageplay.

In this case, the linkage partner player object 56 b finds an open spaceand moves there (A). Herein, the open space represents an area aroundwhich no player objects 56 is located. At this time, when the userdepresses the button 38A or 38B, the operation subject player object 56a performs a short pass or a long pass, and the ball object 58 starts tomove toward the linkage partner player object 56 b irrespective of theoperation state of the direction button group 34 (B). In this case, whenthe ball object 58 comes close to the linkage partner player object 56b, the operation subject is switched to the linkage partner playerobject 56 b, and the linkage partner player object 56 b performs variousactions according to the user's operation. Note that in this case, theoperation subject may not be switched to the linkage partner playerobject 56 b. In other words, the linkage partner player object 56 b whohas received the pass from the operation subject player object 56 a mayperform the various actions automatically according to a predeterminedalgorithm.

Note that if a plurality of linkage partner player objects 56 b areselected, each of the linkage partner player objects 56 b finds an openspace and moves there. When the user depresses the button 38A or 38B,the operation subject player object 56 a performs a short pass or a longpass, and the ball object 58 starts to move toward one of the linkagepartner player objects 56 b (for example, one closest to the operationsubject player object 56 a or one closest to the opposing goal object54) irrespective of the operation state of the direction button group34.

Accordingly, by selecting “open space” as the linkage play, the user canperform a linkage attack using an open space with a relatively simpleoperation.

Note that the linkage play selected by the user is canceled in a casewhere, for example, the ball object 58 is placed under the control ofthe opposing team. Alternatively, the linkage play may be canceled in acase where, for example, the operation subject player object 56 a isswitched to another player object 56.

Next, description will be given of a functional configuration forimplementing the linkage play aiding function. FIG. 10 is a functionalblock diagram of the game machine 10. As shown in FIG. 10, the gamemachine 10 functionally includes a type of linkage play selecting unit70, a linkage partner selecting unit 72, a linkage partner control unit74, an operation subject control unit 75, a game situation informationstorage unit 78, a display control unit 80, and a display unit 82. Thosefunctions are implemented by the microprocessor 14 executing a programsupplied via the DVD-ROM 25 or the communication network.

[Game Situation Information Storage Unit]

The game situation information storage unit 78 is implemented mainly bythe main memory 26, and stores game situation information that indicatesthe situation of a game. In the case of this embodiment, the gamesituation information includes information indicating, for example,states (such as a position, a posture, a moving direction, a movingvelocity, a type of motion data being reproduced, and a reproductionposition of the motion data) of each of the player objects 56, andstates (such as a position, a moving direction, and a moving velocity)of the ball object 58, the objects being located in the virtualthree-dimensional space 50.

[Type of Linkage Play Selecting Unit and Linkage Partner Selecting Unit]

The type of linkage play selecting unit 70 and the linkage partnerselecting unit 72 are implemented mainly by the microprocessor 14. Thetype of linkage play selecting unit 70 selects at least one of aplurality of linkage plays. The linkage partner selecting unit 72selects at least one of the fellow player objects 56 b as the partnerfor the linkage play (linkage partner player object).

In the case of this embodiment, the type of linkage play selecting unit70 selects one of the plurality of linkage plays according to theoperation of the controller 32. To be specific, the type of linkage playselecting unit 70 displays the linkage play selection guide image 62 onthe game screen, and receives a selection operation from the user. Then,the type of linkage play selecting unit 70 selects the linkage playaccording to the selection operation.

Also in the case of this embodiment, the linkage partner selecting unit72 selects one of the fellow player objects 56 b as the linkage partnerplayer object based on the type of linkage play selected by the type oflinkage play selecting unit 70.

If, for example, “one-two pass” is selected, the linkage partnerselecting unit 72 selects the fellow player object 56 b closest to theoperation subject player object 56 a as the linkage partner playerobject based on the position of the operation subject player object 56 aand the positions of the respective fellow player objects 56 b.

If, for example, “cross” is selected, the linkage partner selecting unit72 selects the fellow player object 56 b closest to the goal object 54of the opposing team as the linkage partner player object based on thepositions of the respective fellow player objects 56 b.

If, for example, “open space” is selected, the linkage partner selectingunit 72 specifies an open space based on the positions of the opposingplayer objects 56 c, and selects the fellow player object 56 b closestto the open space as the linkage partner player object.

Note that in this embodiment, the linkage partner selecting unit 72 isconfigured to automatically select the linkage partner player object,but the linkage partner selecting unit 72 may be configured to guide theuser to select the linkage partner player object, and select the linkagepartner player object according to the selection operation performed bythe user. For example, the linkage partner selecting unit 72 may displaya list of the fellow player objects 56 b on the game screen to therebycause the user to select the linkage partner player object from thelist. Alternatively, for example, the linkage partner selecting unit 72may cause the user to select one of the images (white circles) withinthe radar 60 which indicate the respective fellow player objects 56 b tothereby cause the user to select the linkage partner player object.

Further, in this embodiment, after the selection is made by the type oflinkage play selecting unit 70, the selection is made by the linkagepartner selecting unit 72, but the selection may be made by the type oflinkage play selecting unit 70 after the selection is made by thelinkage partner selecting unit 72. In this case, for example, when thedistance between the linkage partner player object selected by thelinkage partner selecting unit 72 and the operation subject playerobject 56 a is less than a predetermined distance, the type of linkageplay selecting unit 70 may automatically select “one-two pass” as thelinkage play. Further, for example, when the linkage partner playerobject selected by the linkage partner selecting unit 72 is locatedwithin a range of a predetermined distance from the goal object 54 ofthe opposing team, and the operation subject player object 56 a islocated on the side (in the area of a predetermined distance from asideline), the type of linkage play selecting unit 70 may automaticallyselect “cross” as the linkage play.

[Linkage Partner Control Unit]

The linkage partner control unit 74 is implemented mainly by themicroprocessor 14. Based on the type of linkage play selected by thetype of linkage play selecting unit 70, the linkage partner control unit74 controls the states (such as the position and the posture) of thefellow player object 56 b (linkage partner player object) selected asthe partner by the linkage partner selecting unit 72.

For example, if the linkage play selected by the type of linkage playselecting unit 70 is “one-two pass”, the linkage partner control unit 74updates the states of the linkage partner player object held in the gamesituation information storage unit 78 so that the linkage partner playerobject moves according to the movement of the operation subject playerobject 56 a. Also in this case, if the linkage partner player objectreceives the pass from the operation subject player object 56 a (oranother linkage partner player object), the linkage partner control unit74 updates the states (such as the position and the posture) of thelinkage partner player object held in the game situation informationstorage unit 78 so that the linkage partner player object performs apass action to the operation subject player object 56 a (or anotherlinkage partner player object) automatically (according to apredetermined algorithm) or according to the pass instruction operationmade by the user.

Further, for example, if the linkage play selected by the type oflinkage play selecting unit 70 is “cross”, the linkage partner controlunit 74 updates the states of the linkage partner player object held inthe game situation information storage unit 78 so that the linkagepartner player object moves toward the goal object 54 of the opposingteam. Also in this case, if the linkage partner player object receivesthe pass from the operation subject player object 56 a (or anotherlinkage partner player object), the linkage partner control unit 74updates the states (such as the position and the posture) of the linkagepartner player object held in the game situation information storageunit 78 so that the linkage partner player object performs a shot actionor a pass action to the operation subject player object 56 a (or anotherlinkage partner player object) automatically (according to apredetermined algorithm) or according to the user's operation.

Further, for example, if the linkage play selected by the type oflinkage play selecting unit 70 is “open space”, the linkage partnercontrol unit 74 specifies an open space based on the positions of therespective opposing player objects 56 c. Then, the linkage partnercontrol unit 74 updates the states of the linkage partner player objectheld in the game situation information storage unit 78 so that thelinkage partner player object moves toward the open space. Also in thiscase, if the linkage partner player object receives the pass from theoperation subject player object 56 a, the linkage partner control unit74 updates the states (such as the position and the posture) of thelinkage partner player object held in the game situation informationstorage unit 78 so that the linkage partner player object performs eachof various actions automatically (according to a predeterminedalgorithm) or according to the user's operation.

[Operation Subject Control Unit]

The operation subject control unit 75 is implemented mainly by themicroprocessor 14. The operation subject control unit 75 causes theoperation subject player object 56 a to perform each of various actionsincluding a movement (dribble) action, a shot action, or the like,according to the user's operation.

[Pass Execution Unit]

The operation subject control unit 75 includes a pass execution unit 76.The pass execution unit 76 causes the operation subject player object 56a to perform a pass (short pass or long pass) according to the user'spass instruction operation (short pass instruction operation or longpass instruction operation).

If the partner for the linkage play is not selected by the linkagepartner selecting unit 72, the pass execution unit 76 identifies thedirection within the virtual three-dimensional space 50 whichcorresponds to the content of the pass instruction operation, and causesthe operation subject player object 56 a to perform a pass in thatdirection. On the other hand, if the partner for the linkage play isselected by the linkage partner selecting unit 72, the pass executionunit 76 causes the operation subject player object 56 a to perform apass to the fellow player object 56 b selected as the partner for thelinkage play by the linkage partner control unit 74.

Note that to cause the operation subject player object 56 a and thelinkage partner player object to perform various actions, the linkagepartner control unit 74 and the operation subject control unit 75 (passexecution unit 76) change the postures of the operation subject playerobject 56 a and the linkage partner player object held in the gamesituation information storage unit 78 according to the motion datarepresenting the various actions (for example, pass action and thelike). Further, to cause the operation subject player object 56 a andthe linkage partner player object to perform a pass or a shot, thelinkage partner control unit 74 and the operation subject control unit75 (pass execution unit 76) update the position of the ball object 58held in the game situation information storage unit 78 everypredetermined time so that the ball object 58 moves toward a targetdirection.

[Display Control Unit and Display Unit]

The display control unit 80 is implemented mainly by the microprocessor14, the main memory 26, and the image processing unit 16. The displayunit 82 is implemented mainly by the monitor 18. The display controlunit 80 creates in the main memory 26 the virtual three-dimensionalspace 50 in which the respective player objects 56 and the ball object58 are located based on the storage content of the game situationinformation storage unit 78. Then, the display control unit 80 generatesa game screen showing the picture obtained by viewing the virtualthree-dimensional space 50 from a given viewpoint, and causes thedisplay unit 82 to display the game screen.

Next, description will be given of processing executed on the gamemachine 10. FIGS. 11 to 13 are a flowchart showing a processing which isexecuted on the game machine 10 every predetermined time (for example,1/60 of a second) and which is related to the present invention. Theprocessing is implemented by the microprocessor 14 executing a programsupplied via the DVD-ROM 25 or the communication network.

As shown in FIG. 11, in this processing, it is judged whether or not thebutton 42L has been depressed based on an operation signal inputtedthrough the controller 32 (S101). If it is judged that the button 42Lhas been depressed, a linkage play selection guide flag is updated to“1” (S102). Herein, the linkage play selection guide flag representsinformation indicating whether or not the linkage play selection guideimage 62 is displayed on the game screen. The linkage play selectionguide flag takes the value “0” or “1”, and its initial value is “0”. Ifthe linkage play selection guide flag is “1”, the linkage play selectionguide image 62 is displayed on the game screen, while if the linkageplay selection guide flag is “0”, the linkage play selection guide image62 is not displayed on the game screen.

After the processing of Step S102 has been executed, or if it is judgedin Step S101 that the button 42L has not been depressed, it is judgedwhether or not the linkage play selection guide image 62 is in a statein which the linkage play selection guide image 62 is displayed on thegame screen (S103). In other words, it is judged whether or not thelinkage play selection guide flag is “1”. If the linkage play selectionguide image 62 is in the state in which the linkage play selection guideimage 62 is displayed on the game screen, it is judged whether or notthe button 40L has been depressed (S104). If it is judged that thebutton 40L has been depressed, an ID of the next linkage play accordingto a predetermined order is set as a highlighted linkage play ID (S105).Herein, the highlighted linkage play ID represents the ID of the linkageplay to be highlighted in the linkage play selection guide image 62.

In addition, if the linkage play selection guide image 62 is in thestate in which the linkage play selection guide image 62 is displayed onthe game screen, it is judged whether or not the button 40R has beendepressed (S106). If it is judged that the button 40R has beendepressed, the highlighted linkage play ID at this point in time is setas an execution subject linkage play ID (S107). Herein, the executionsubject linkage play ID represents the ID of the linkage play selectedas the execution subject by the user. In addition, if it is judged thatthe button 40R has been depressed, the linkage partner player object isdecided from among the fellow player objects 56 b (S108), and an ID ofthe decided fellow player object 56 b is set as a linkage partner playerobject ID (S109). After that, the linkage play selection guide flag isupdated into “0” (S110), and the highlighted linkage play ID is cleared(S111). In other words, the highlighted linkage play ID becomes an emptystate.

After the processing of Steps S104 to S111 has been executed, or if itis judged in Step S103 that the linkage play selection guide image 62 isnot in the state in which the linkage play selection guide image 62 isdisplayed on the game screen, the processing for updating the states(such as the position and the posture) of the player objects 56 and theball object 58 is executed (S112 to S123)

First, the processing for updating the states of the player objects 56other than the operation subject player object 56 a (fellow playerobjects 56 b and opposing player objects 56 c) is executed (S112 toS115). More specifically, it is judged whether or not the linkagepartner player object has been decided (S112). To be specific, it isjudged whether or not the ID of any one of the fellow player objects 56b has been set as the linkage partner player object ID.

If the linkage partner player object has been decided, the state of thelinkage partner player object (fellow player object 56 b identified bythe linkage partner player object ID) is updated based on the type oflinkage play selected by the user (S113). After that, the states ofother fellow player objects 56 b and the opposing player objects 56 care updated irrespective of the type of linkage play selected by theuser (S114). On the other hand, if the linkage partner player object hasnot been decided, the states of the fellow player objects 56 b and theopposing player objects 56 c are updated (S115). In this case, the typeof linkage play has not been selected by the user, so the update isperformed irrespective of the type of linkage play. Also in this case,the state of the ball object 58 is updated as necessary.

After the processing for updating the states of the player objects 56other than the operation subject player object 56 a has been executed,the processing for updating the state of the operation subject playerobject 56 a is executed (S116 to S123).

More specifically, it is judged whether or not the short pass or longpass instruction operation has been performed (S116). To be specific, itis judged whether or not the buttons 38A or 38B have been depressed andfollowed by the release of the depression. If it is judged that theshort pass or long pass instruction operation has been performed, it isjudged whether or not the linkage partner player object has been decided(S117). This judgment is performed similarly to the case of theprocessing of Step S112.

If it is judged that the linkage partner player object has been decided,the direction and strength of the pass are decided based on the positionof the linkage partner player object and the position of the operationsubject player object 56 a (S118). To be more specific, a directionbased on the direction from the position of the operation subject playerobject 56 a toward the position of the linkage partner player object isdecided as the direction of the pass, and the strength of the pass isdecided based on the distance between the position of the operationsubject player object 56 a and the position of the linkage partnerplayer object.

On the other hand, if the linkage partner player object has not beendecided, a direction corresponding to the depressed state of thedirection button group 34 is decided as the direction of the pass(S119). Further, the strength of the pass is decided based on the timeelapsing from the depression of the button 38A or 38B until the releaseof the depression (S120).

In Step S118 or Steps S119 and S120, if the direction and strength ofthe pass are decided, the execution of the short pass or long pass isstarted (S121). For example, with regard to the operation subject playerobject 56 a, reproduction of the motion data of the short pass or longpass action is started. Further, for example, the movement of the ballobject 58 is started based on the direction and strength of the passdecided in Step S118 or Steps S119 and S120.

Note that it is judged in Step S116 that the short or long passinstruction operation has not been performed, it is judged whether ornot another action instruction operation has been performed (S122). Ifit is judged that another action instruction operation has beenperformed, the execution of the corresponding action is started (S123).For example, if the shot instruction operation has been performed, withregard to the operation subject player object 56 a, the reproduction ofthe motion data of the shot action is started, and at the same time, themovement of the ball object 58 is started.

After the processing for updating the state of the player object 56 orthe ball object 58 has been executed, it is judged whether or not acancellation condition for the linkage play is satisfied (S124). Forexample, it is judged whether or not the ball object 58 has beenintercepted by the opposing player object 56 c. If the cancellationcondition for the linkage play is satisfied, the execution subjectlinkage play ID is cleared (S125), and the linkage partner player objectID is also cleared (S126). In other words, the execution subject linkageplay ID and the linkage partner player object ID become an empty state,a state in which no execution subject linkage play or no linkage partnerplayer object is selected.

After the processing of Steps S101 to S126 has been executed, the gamescreen is updated (S127). To be specific, first, the image showing thepicture obtained by viewing the virtual three-dimensional space 50 froma given viewpoint is formed in the VRAM based on the storage content ofthe game situation information storage unit 78. After that, if thelinkage play selection guide flag is “1”, the linkage play selectionguide image 62 is drawn over a predetermined position of the imageformed in the VRAM. At this time, in the linkage play selection guideimage 62, for example, a hatched image is further drawn over the linkageplay identified by the highlighted linkage play ID, and the linkage playis highlighted. If the ID of any one of the linkage plays is set as theexecution subject linkage play ID, the execution subject linkage playguide image 64 for guiding the corresponding linkage play is drawn overthe predetermined position of the image formed in the VRAM. The gamescreen thus formed in the VRAM is display-outputted on the monitor 18 ata predetermined time.

As described above, in the game machine 10 according to this embodiment,the user selects a desired linkage play to thereby allow the partner forthe linkage play (linkage partner player object) to be selected fromamong the fellow player objects 56 b based on the type of linkage play.In addition, the state of the linkage partner player object iscontrolled based on the type of linkage play selected by the user.Further, the processing corresponding to the pass instruction operationdiffers between the state in which the linkage partner player object hasnot been selected and the state in which the linkage partner playerobject has been selected. In the state in which the linkage partnerplayer object has been selected, the pass to the linkage partner playerobject is executed without being affected by the operation state of thedirection button group 34. Therefore, according to the game machine 10,the user can perform the linkage attack using a pass, which is realizedby involving a plurality of player objects 56, by a relatively simpleoperation. Consequently, the operability of the soccer game can beimproved, with the result that the amusement of the soccer game can beenhanced.

Further, in the game machine 10, the user selects a desired linkage playto thereby effect the linkage play aiding function. Therefore, forexample, a highly experienced user or the like can enjoy playing theconventional soccer game without using the linkage play aiding function.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodimentdescribed above.

For example, the present invention can be applied to not only the soccergame but also various ball games such as a basket ball sport game.Further, the present invention is not limited to the ball sport game,and can also be applied to a sports game played by using a moving body.For example, the present invention can be applied to an ice hockey gameplayed by using a puck (moving body).

Further, for example, the virtual game space built in the main memory 26of the game machine 10 is not limited to the virtual three-dimensionalspace defined by 3 coordinate elements, and may also be atwo-dimensional virtual space defined by 2 coordinate elements.

Still further, in the description given above, the programs are suppliedto the household game machine 11 from the DVD-ROM 25 serving as aninformation storage medium, and may also be distributed to homes and thelike via the communication network. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating awhole structure of a program distribution system using the communicationnetwork. A program distribution method according to the presentinvention will be described with reference to FIG. 14. As illustrated inthe figure, a program distribution system 100 includes a game database102, a server 104, a communication network 106, a personal computer 108,a household game machine 110, and a personal digital assistant (PDA)112. Among those structural elements, the game database 102 and server104 together constitute a program distribution device 114. Thecommunication network 106 includes, e.g., the Internet or a cable TVnetwork. In this system, the game database (information storage medium)102 stores programs having the same storage contents as those of theDVD-ROM 25. Then, a prospective consumer makes a game distributionrequest by use of the personal computer 108, the household game machine110, the PDA 112, or the like, whereby the request is transferred to theserver 104 via the communication network 106. Then, the server 104 readsthe programs from the game database 102 in response to the gamedistribution request, and transmits the programs to the gamedistribution requester such as the personal computer 108, the householdgame machine 110, the PDA 112, etc. Herein, the game is distributed inresponse to the game distribution request. However, the server 104 maytransmit the game one-sidedly. Further, all of the required programs maynot necessarily be distributed at onetime (batch distribution) in orderto actualize the game, and necessary program modules may also bedistributed (segmented distribution) corresponding to a stage of thegame. Thus, the game is distributed via the communication network 106,whereby the prospective consumer can easily obtain the programs.

1. A game machine, which displays a game screen showing a situation of agame space in which an operation subject player character that actsaccording to a user's operation, fellow player characters belonging tothe same team as the operation subject player character, and a movingbody character that represents a moving body, are located, and whichexecutes a game of a sport played by using the moving body between theteam to which the operation subject player character belongs and anopposing team, comprising: linkage partner selecting unit for selectinga linkage partner player character from among the fellow playercharacters automatically without input from the user; type of linkageplay selecting unit for selecting a type of linkage play; linkagepartner control unit for controlling, after the type of the linkage playand the linkage partner player character are selected, a position of thelinkage partner player character selected by the linkage partnerselecting unit based on the type of linkage play selected by the type oflinkage play selecting unit, at least until a pass instruction operationis performed; and pass execution unit for, in the case where the passinstruction operation is performed by the user, causing the operationsubject player character to execute a pass in a direction within thegame space based on a content of the pass instruction operation if thelinkage partner player character has not been selected by the linkagepartner selecting unit, and causing the operation subject playercharacter to execute a pass to the linkage partner player character ifthe linkage partner player character has been selected by the linkagepartner selecting unit, wherein a strength and a direction of the passto the linkage partner player character is automatically determinedbased on a position of the linkage partner player character and aposition of the operation subject player object.
 2. A control method ofa game machine which displays a game screen showing a situation of agame space in which an operation subject player character that actsaccording to a user's operation, fellow player characters belonging tothe same team as the operation subject player character, and a movingbody character that represents a moving body, are located, and whichexecutes a game of a sport played by using the moving body between theteam to which the operation subject player character belongs and anopposing team, comprising: a linkage partner selecting step of selectinga linkage partner player character from among the fellow playercharacters automatically without input from the user; a type of linkageplay selecting step of selecting a type of linkage play; a linkagepartner control step of controlling, after the type of the linkage playand the linkage partner player character are selected, a position of thelinkage partner player character selected by the linkage partnerselecting step based on the type of linkage play selected by the type oflinkage play selecting step, at least until a pass instruction operationis performed; and a pass execution step of, in the case where the passinstruction operation is performed by the user, causing the operationsubject player character to execute a pass in a direction within thegame space based on a content of the pass instruction operation if thelinkage partner player character has not been selected by the linkagepartner selecting step, and causing the operation subject playercharacter to execute a pass to the linkage partner player character ifthe linkage partner player character has been selected by the linkagepartner selecting step, wherein a strength and a direction of the passto the linkage partner player character is automatically determinedbased on a position of the linkage partner player character and aposition of the operation subject player object.
 3. A non-transitorycomputer-readable information storage medium recorded with a program forcausing a computer to function as a game machine which displays a gamescreen showing a situation of a game space in which an operation subjectplayer character that acts according to a user's operation, fellowplayer characters belonging to the same team as the operation subjectplayer character, and a moving body character that represents a movingbody, are located, and which executes a game of a sport played by usingthe moving body between the team to which the operation subject playercharacter belongs and an opposing team, the program further causing thecomputer to function as: linkage partner selecting unit for selecting alinkage partner player character from among the fellow player charactersautomatically without input from the user; type of linkage playselecting unit for selecting a type of linkage play; linkage partnercontrol unit for controlling, after the type of the linkage play and thelinkage partner player character are selected, a position of the linkagepartner player character selected by the linkage partner selecting unitbased on the type of linkage play selected by the type of linkage playselecting unit, at least until a pass instruction operation isperformed; and pass execution unit for, in the case where the passinstruction operation is performed by the user, causing the operationsubject player character to execute a pass in a direction within thegame space based on a content of the pass instruction operation if thelinkage partner player character has not been selected by the linkagepartner selecting unit, and causing the operation subject playercharacter to execute a pass to the linkage partner player character ifthe linkage partner player character has been selected by the linkagepartner selecting unit, wherein a strength and a direction of the passto the linkage partner player character is automatically determinedbased on a position of the linkage partner player character and aposition of the operation subject player object.
 4. The game machine ofclaim 1, wherein: the type of linkage play selecting unit selects thetype of linkage play based on the user's operation, and after theselection is made by the type of linkage play selecting unit, thelinkage partner selecting unit selects the linkage partner playercharacter from among the fellow player characters automatically based onthe type of linkage play selected by the type of linkage play selectingunit.
 5. The game machine of claim 4, wherein the linkage partnerselecting unit selects, as the linkage partner player character, afellow player character closest to a position corresponding to the typeof linkage play selected by the type of linkage play selecting unit. 6.The game machine of claim 1, wherein the type of linkage play comprisesone of a one-to-two pass, a cross, and an open space.
 7. The gamemachine of claim 1, wherein the linkage partner player characterselected by the linkage partner selecting unit, upon receiving the pass,executes a linkage player event comprising one of (a) passing to one ofthe fellow player characters and the operation subject player object,and (b) shooting the moving body character toward a goal object.
 8. Thecontrol method of claim 2, wherein: the type of linkage play selectingstep selects the type of linkage play based on the user's operation,after the selection is made by the type of linkage play selecting step,the linkage partner selecting step selects the linkage partner playercharacter from among the fellow player characters automatically based onthe type of linkage play selected by the type of linkage play selectingstep.
 9. The control method of claim 8, wherein the linkage partnerselecting step selects, as the linkage partner player character, afellow player character closest to a position corresponding to the typeof linkage play selected by the type of linkage play selecting step. 10.The control method of claim 2, wherein the type of linkage playcomprises one of a one-to-two pass, a cross, and an open space.
 11. Thecontrol method of claim 2, wherein the linkage partner player characterselected by the linkage partner selecting step, upon receiving the pass,executes a linkage player event comprising one of (a) passing to one ofthe fellow player characters and the operation subject player object,and (b) shooting the moving body character toward a goal object.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable information storage medium of claim 3,wherein: the type of linkage play selecting unit selects the type oflinkage play based on the user's operation, and after the selection ismade by the type of linkage play selecting unit, the linkage partnerselecting unit selects the linkage partner player character from amongthe fellow player characters automatically based on the type of linkageplay selected by the type of linkage play selecting unit.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable information storage medium of claim 12,wherein the linkage partner selecting unit selects, as the linkagepartner player character, a fellow player character closest to aposition corresponding to the type of linkage play selected by the typeof linkage play selecting unit.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readableinformation storage medium of claim 3, wherein the type of linkage playcomprises one of a one-to-two pass, a cross, and an open space.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable information storage medium of claim 3,wherein the linkage partner player character selected by the linkagepartner selecting unit, upon receiving the pass, executes a linkageplayer event comprising one of (a) passing to one of the fellow playercharacters and the operation subject player object, and (b) shooting themoving body character toward a goal object.